Magazine Construction – Step By Step Breakdown

Leeza Ah-WanCandidate Number: 6593

1.) I used the text tool to type up my strapline, masthead, the date of the issue and also the magazines official web address as a form of convergence.

2.) I inserted my images. I gave each image a stroke effect, with a different colour. I used a variety of colours as soap opera magazines typically use a bright colour scheme and this is a convention I wanted to “repeat” (Neale).

3.) I inserted the first of my two main images. I used the quick selection tool and rubber tool to crop this image and then added a white outer glow. The white glow connotes that this male character and hence the main headline is extremely important. Thus, promoting ‘Upon Thames’.

4.) I inserted my second main image. I cropped this image in the same way and added the white outer glow for the same effect. However, the glow used on this character was slightly heavier. This was to make her stand out more against the male character positioned behind her, as I wanted to connote that ‘Upon Thames’ explores the representation of “strong women” (Rebecca Feasey).

5.) The text tool was used to type up the rhetorical main headline: ‘who’s the killer?’. I used yellow as this is conventionally used on soap opera magazines for main headlines, as it instantly grabs the attention of a pass along audience. For those who have not viewed the trailer, the main headline denotes what the upcoming episode of ‘Upon Thames’ will be centered around.

6.) I then typed up the text ‘suspects revealed’ to “inform” (Katz) an audience what they can expect if they choose to buy the issue. The rectangle behind it was created using the shape tool and the paint bucket tool was used to fill the shape in yellow. I then placed in my soap opera logo. Placing in the logo was important as it allows an audience to see what soap the main headline links directly to.

7.) Next, I typed up my cover lines and placed in a bar code in the bottom left corner. I used cover lines that would appeal to audience members for different reasons. Some ‘females’ (Hartley) will be able to “personally identify” (Katz) with Stacey’s situation of an unexpected pregnancy. Those that have a “personal relationship” (Katz) with Jason will want to buy the issue to see if he’s okay following the break up. Whilst, “caregivers” (Maslow) will sympathies for the characters who are experiencing a family tragedy and may buy the issue as they want the security of knowing the characters will be okay. I used a different colour for each cover line to ensure that they were all equally noticeable and to connote the diverse range of upcoming storylines that ‘Soap Central’ covers.

8.) When doing my hand drawn draft for this product, I initially only planned to have four cover lines. However, the space didn’t look aesthetically pleasing, so I decided to make the most out of this spare space and add another cover line which denoted the role of a “strong woman” (Rebecca Feasey). I used a pink outer stroke for this cover lines image, as well as the one below it, as stereotypically it is the ‘female’ (Hartley) gender who tend to buy soap opera magazines and stereotypically pink would appeal to them.

9.) I created the circle for the price using the shape tool and once again used the paint bucket tool to create a yellow fill for a consistent colour scheme. I also added the appropriate soap opera logo to each cover line.

10.) I then used the text tool to type up the text: ‘2 weeks revealed’. I placed in social networking logos and typed up the issue number and month of issue.

11.) I added in two more images of characters I knew we would be using in our trailer. I also added a white outer glow effect on these images to connote that ‘Upon Thames’ is the main focus of this issue.

12.) Finally, I typed up the text: ‘behind the scenes of Upon Thames’ to “inform” (Katz) an audience, that Soap Central includes exclusive information, which other soap opera magazines may not provide.